University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Basketball Adds Another, Inks Mississippi Standout
11/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 15, 2005
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss Head Basketball Coach Larry Eustachy has announced the signing of Andre Stephens of Heidelberg (Miss.) High School to a national letter of intent and grant-in-aid for the 2006-07 academic year. This marks the third signee of the early signing period.
"We're excited to have a player of Andre's ability join our basketball program," Eustachy said. "He is very skilled and athletic, for a player his size. We believe that he is the best player in Mississippi, and we think he has a bright future ahead of him."
Stephens, a 6-foot-8, 230-pound senior, is a standout forward for Coach Ted Williams at Heidelberg. He led the Oilers to a 12-18 overall record and a spot in the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 2A playoffs, all while averaging 18 points, 16 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots per game. Stephens also competed in the Mississippi High School all-star game, scoring 10 points.
A member of The Clarion Ledger's "Dandy Dozen" team, Stephens is ranked as the No. 1 player in Mississippi by MagnoliaPreps.com, and has a three-star rating by both rivals.com and Scout.com. He also is listed among the top 150 players in the nation by HoopScoop Magazine, ranking 128th overall. He chose Southern Miss over a host of schools, including Kansas, Texas, USC, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
Stephens joins Southern Miss' two other early signees, Gjio Bain of Northeastern (Neb.) Community College and Dewayne Green of Mt. San Jacinto (Calif.) College, who both signed last week.
